A Starbucks treat comes with a tricky mixed message

Would I like an iced coffee on a hazy hot and humid Baltimore afternoon? You don’t even have to ask.

I recently picked up a package of Starbucks new VIA “ready brew” iced, and I’ve got to say I’m impressed.

Each package contains five packets. Following the directions, you just mix a packet with 16 ounces of cold water and you’ve got a tall glass of iced coffee that tastes remarkably like fresh-brewed.

But the folks at Starbucks must think we’ll be lulled into a coffee-loving coma and forget how to figure simple math.

Check the Nutrition Facts panel and you’ll find that one serving contains 50 calories–all of it from carbohydrates (12 grams) in the form of sugars (11 grams).

That’s a little higher than I’d like, but it’s not too bad for an occasional summer treat.

Just one problem…

After giving me clear directions for mixing one packet with 16 ounces of water (there’s even a little graphic of a 16 ounce water bottle), it turns out that a “serving size” is HALF a packet.

Now I’ve seen this trick with plenty of other products– like a bag of cookies that lists an absurd serving size of 1.5 cookies, something like that. But with the iced VIA, the front of the package clearly reads: “Makes 5 16 fl oz beverages.”

So if you follow the mixing directions, you end up with TWO servings, and 22 grams of sugars. Which equals about five teaspoons of table sugar–much more than I would ever put in a fresh-brewed iced coffee.

Come on, Starbucks! Who can I trust if I can’t trust you?

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson